I'm an engineering officer in command of an Odyssey Operations Cruiser.

I've been debating whether to fit 4 or 6 beam arrays to my ship. The increased power drain from using multiple arrays seems to imply that using 6 would result in a net loss in dps output compared to using 4 arrays.

Is it worth fitting transphasic torpedo bays only? Does the increased shield penetration offset the fact that once the enemy's shields are down, the overall dps output is much lower than when using photon torpedoes?

1 Answer
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I would suggest running six beam arrays, and putting the torp launchers facing aft.

Cruisers are the slowest turners in the game, so you'll spend most of your time broadside - six beams will max your damage potential. When it's time to fire the torps, it's a lot easier to turn away (putting them in your aft arc) than to try and wrangle them into the forward arc.

With six beams, you'll shred shields without the need for transphasics.

There isn't a big difference between the various array types - use the ones you prefer. A lot of the boosting equipment is type-specific, however; for max dps you'll want to pick one and stick with it.